When you coat begin by using the chocolate which is directly in front of you, and keep this cleared space to wipe the chocolate from your hand after you pick up the cream center from the mass of chocolate.

When you have used about one-third of the chocolate, sweep around the inside edge, as you did when working it, so that you may keep the entire mass the same temperature. Do this quite frequently.

Coating candies in the manner described here, your creams will have no base on them whatever, and will be very glossy, and not spotted in the least. If they are spotted after being coated, it is probably because you did not thoroughly work the chocolate, or because you worked in some of that around the edge that was too cold. Never mind how much there is around the edge of the slab, as none of it is wasted.

If they are not glossy, it is either because you commenced coating them before your chocolate was cool enough, or allowed it to get too cool, which would spoil the gloss, or did not put them in a cool place soon enough after coating them in order to set the chocolate.

When you are through coating, take your scraper and scrape all the chocolate off the slab, and also with a knife scrape it from your hand, and put it back in double boiler, and you will find that there is not enough chocolate wasted with which to coat one chocolate cream.

There is absolutely nothing necessary to put in this coating, but simply melt it and handle as described. If the chocolate is too thick to coat with, it is because you have allowed some of the steam, or a drop of water to get mixed in it, and you may then add a little melted cocoa butter to thin it a little. Do not get it too thin; remember that.

In using milk chocolate, you will find that it is much thicker than the sweet coating, and also, full of little lumps, which will be broken and worked through by the time it is cooled. If you wish you may add a very little melted cocoa butter to this coating, about the time you start to work it.

The bitter-sweet coating you will use in making Orientals, is thinner than most of the other coatings, and if you wish to thicken it a little, simply add a very little XXXX sugar to it, when you start to work it.

We will repeat again, that you must work the chocolate as much as you possibly can before you begin to dip; for, while it is absolutely necessary to have the chocolate cool, or until the heat has all left it, before you begin to coat. It is essential to work the chocolate as much as possible, until it is cool, even if it takes fifteen to twenty minutes. Otherwise your chocolates will be grey.

The secret in successful chocolate coating, is in working the chocolate properly, having it cool enough before you begin to dip, then cooling the dipped candies as soon as they have been dipped.

Never lift the dipped chocolates off the boards or trays, until they are set; you can tell this by lifting one piece off the wax paper or oilcloth, and if the bottom is glossy, then they are set.